A Cross of Swords 2: Unsheathed
by Ace Voxen
Summary: The highly anticipated sequel to 'A Cross of Swords'. Read that one first, then come back for more. More characters, more action, more humor, more angst! Should be a great ride. See, I told you I'd get it to you ;)
1. Default Chapter

_(Author's note: Wow, I got this out faster than I thought I would. Alright, for those of you who read the last one, I hope you'll enjoy this one as well. There will be more characters, a few more sidequests, and I'm trying to make some things a little darker, without losing that humorous edge. _

_ For those of you who haven't read the first one...what are you doing? Go back and read it! Or, if you really feel lazy, here's a very brief summary:_

_Paine (from Final Fantasy X-2) was commisioned by an individual named Mirt to find a rare treasure (later referred to as the Stigmon). To get to the dead planet that provided a home for this object, Paine had to rely on the piloting (and fighting) skills of a surly Gunblade Weilder called Leon (from Kingdom Hearts). While these two didn't always get along, they did find that they worked fairly well together. Nearing the end of their journey, it was discovered that their misison was a lie, and that the people claiming to want to protect the Stimgon only wanted to use its power for destruction. In a desperate last stand, Leon fought off vicious creatures known as Guardians so that Paine could get the Stigmon and escape.  
Now, she's trying to find him...if only to find out if he was serious about that kiss..._

_ And now, without further ado...)_

_**A Cross of Swords, Part 2: Chapter 1-Another World, Another Bar...** _

It was weary game they played.

A kind of cat and mouse, only the prey was far more elusive. It was what had led them to this place, a kind of place she was becoming all too familiar with.

A place where people went to forget their failures, ignore their problems, and hide from their future. She used to come to these places for those very reasons. But no more. Now she had reason and a mission.

Her eyes of scarlet glanced upward. He was on the roof she knew, even though they hadn't conferred. He seemed to like high dark places and she didn't argue. There was still much about him she didn't know: how and why he did things, but so far he hadn't given her any reason not to trust him, and she of all people understood the value of privacy.

This establishment was nearly identical to countless others she'd seen. Dark mahogany exterior, a few mall windows (large ones had a tendency of getting people thrown through them), high timbered roof and a large sturdy front door. Depending on the kind of world, there could be a stable or a hangar in the back.

This would be the last one. Sure, she'd said that before, but this time she meant it. If they didn't find a pilot here, they would just…what? Steal a ship and figure out how to fly it as they went? A sigh threatened to escape her. No, if this turned into just another failure, they would try somewhere else. A dozen dead ends would be worth it if it helped her reach her goal. To find him.

She got the same kind of reaction every time. The door would shut loudly behind her as she was met with total silence. A few customers would be wondering what a strikingly beautiful woman was doing in a disreputable tavern. The smarter ones would be wondering if she could handle the huge sword she was carrying. The disinterested (or highly inebriated) patrons immediately turned back to their drinks of liquid death, deciding she wasn't worth the trouble to figure out. The warier few made subtle movements towards their own weapons…just in case she caused trouble.

She took stock of the room in an instant. Four at the bar, a few hiding in dark corners. None looked particularly threatening, but looks could be deceiving. And there was twice the danger now.

Before, all she had to worry about was the unwanted attention of a few drunkards, maybe a challenge from a would-be hero, or an attack from a marauder. They had been easy to deal with. Now, she had to deal with the servants of the Master.

She'd never heard of the Master until a few weeks ago, when another futile attempt had been made on her life. Her 'partner' had made sure the fake assassin didn't succeed, but right before he died (she was still sketchy on the details of how THAT had happened), he had whispered something that still gave her chills at night.

"_It doesn't matter how many of us you kill. We will proudly and gladly give our lives for the Master. But he doesn't want ours. He just wants yours."_

She had never been a believer in suicide missions. If it was going to get you killed, it probably wasn't worth it. There were few things she was truly willing to put her life on the line for. This mission she was on now was such a thing. But this avid fanaticism…she still remembered the look in his eyes, the kind of feral quality. _Like he hadn't even been human._ But what had bothered her more than anything…_he had just been a kid. _Couldn't have been very old at all. And yet, he had tried to kill her and in the process, been killed himself. The memory made her stomach flip.

But she was here now, and had to stay focused on the present. She held her sword lazily at her side, giving the impression that, while she wasn't defensive at the moment, that could change really fast. She sauntered in and made her way to the bar counter. Her movements couldn't be called graceful, but it was with a kind of ease that made you think twice before making a derisive comment.

She sat down and the game began anew.

Twenty minutes later she knew this was going to be a drink-and-drop job. This was one of those close-knit groups that didn't like strangers, and especially didn't like them asking suspicious questions like 'So, do any of you know how to fly a starship?'. Her last shred of hope that this would go peacefully was demolished when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, the bartender reach under the counter. All eyes were on her, and her sword, which rested against the bar.

She took a long slow sip of her drink, some indescribable brown stuff that tasted (and for that matter, felt) like tar covered in sugar, and took her time putting it back down. It hadn't quite reached the surface of the bar counter when she grabbed the patron nearest to her and thrown him at the bartender, who lost his grip on whatever weapon he was reaching for. Too slow to react, the person on the other side of her (who really didn't want to get involved, only wanted to finish his drink), suddenly became a shield as she vaulted out of her seat and flipped over his head (which made him the recipient of the bottle that was being thrown at the now running young woman). One of the more eager participants took a swing at her, only to find her head was not where he thought, since she had dove to the ground, scissors-kicked her legs, tripping him and making him fall onto the guy, rubbing his head from being hit with the bottle.

She jumped up from the floor and kicked out again, knocking over someone trying to wield a knife. She hit him square in the chest, but he was sturdier than he looked, and he stayed up. A fast punch to the face made him stagger back, but he was still vertical. As she shook her hand to clear the soreness, two burly individuals came up from behind and grabbed her arms. She launched her legs out and this time managed to knock the first guy over, but she was still caught.

The temperature in the room dropped noticeably. Everyone looked to the door, but it was still firmly shut. She held perfectly still, though a slow mile graced her face.

The guy on her right felt his hair move just a little. The whole room sucked in a breath. The guy on her left felt something cold press against his spine.

"I think the lady would like you to let her go. I would humor her while you still have most of your appendages intact."

The voice was low, echoing inside the attacker's skull. He made it sound like maiming was an intellectual pursuit.

She felt the grip on her arms loosen. She jerked forward and rubbed a gloved hand against her shoulder.

"What took you so long?" she demanded. He shrugged, as if to say 'Hey, it looked like you could handle yourself'. Everyone else in the room backed up a few steps.

"I take it what we're looking for is not here," he observed, as if they were the only two people in the room. She nodded. He moved to the door, giving everyone a full view of him. A red cloaked covered a suit of black, studded with metal. One hand, engulfed a fingerless glove, held a small dark pistol. The other hand was more noticeable, large, gold and mechanical. Dark red eyes were obscured by a mane of long black hair, held black by a red headband. Someone may have made fun of his shoes, but only if they knew for absolute certain that he couldn't hear them and they were very far away. She followed, being no less impressive. Thin black fabric covered silver studded armor. Red straps, from her shoulders to her feet contrasted high boots and short shorts. Again eyes of blood, but these were hidden by silver hair, which contrasted sharply with her smooth young face.

They were an odd pair, to be sure, and not one that anyone in the now quiet tavern wanted to mess with. The bartender, rubbing his chest from having been pummeled, spoke first, harsh and loud.

"Look, we don't want trouble. Why don't the two of you just move it along?"

She side-stepped, never breaking eye contact with the tavern-keeper and reached out for her sword. A silver cross flashed brightly on its blade, as she pulled it close to her.

They walked backwards, eyes scanning the room, daring anyone to move or speak. No one tried, a little disappointing, though not that suprising.

The door opened, almost of its own accord, and the two mysterious warriors disappeared, relegated to the role of fable and legend.

Inside a rental ship, Paine collapsed in a tattered seat and leaned her head against the wall. Vincent sat down more slowly, placing his beloved firearm on the seat next to him. Paine smiled.

"Getting' tired there, old man?" she asked. He shook his head but didn't say anything.

"So what now?" she asked, as if he would actually answer.

"Do we just keep looking? How many bars do we have to get thrown out of? You'd think somewhere in this cursed system there'd be someone with a half-decent ship."

Vincent let her talk. She ranted like this sometimes when she was tired, or frustrated. Most of the time, they didn't speak at all, just fought, ran, fought some more…

He didn't voice his opinions, making her wonder if he even had any.

"That was a good move, coming in from the ceiling like that," she complimented. He nodded an acknowledgement, but as usual, didn't reply.

"Alright, there's one more world in this part of the system. We'll check around there, in some more respectable places tomorrow, and hope we succeed. We can't keep cabbing in this rental ships, they don't go far." She paused.

"Get some rest, old man. The universe will still be there tomorrow."

It had an annoying habit of doing that.


	2. Chapter 2

This eatery was infinitely better. The walls were light blue, the furniture was a mix of silver and white, the decorations were metallic chrome. The ceiling was a sheet of clear glass, criss-crossed with white beams. There was no telling how good the food would be, but from the scents wafting in from the kitchen, it couldn't be bad.

She went in, as usual. They had found that the sight of Vincent tended to put people on edge and make them less talkative. For some reason, the sight of a lone unarmed (she left her sword hidden, which was quite a feat considering its size) young woman far less threatening. In away, Paine found it insulting, but it got the job done.

There were some similarities to the various Taverns she had visited that this place boasted. Some corners weren't as well lit, though the Sun shone down bright enough to give most of the café an open, friendly atmosphere. There was still a counter, with spinning stools in a line. And everyone still turned and stared at her as she walked in. She tried to smile cheerfully, but it came out flopped and weak. She gave up and just sat down at the counter.

It was late in the afternoon, so there weren't many people loitering the area. Truth be told, Paine was not in a good mood. She felt like half her life had been spent in places like these and she was getting sick of it. Her skin crawled and she knew why. She was itching for a fight. Strangely enough, the fight that broke out had nothing to do with her.

Two men stood up, knocking over table and chairs. The café owner, a small wrinkled balding man who wrung his hands a lot, scurried over for fear of his furniture.

"Stay out of this, old man," one of them, the taller, barked

"I took nothing from you," the shorter man said, defensively. Tall-guy snorted.

"Don't give me any of that. I saw you. You-"

"Excuse me," a soft voice broke in. The two antagonists turned. It was probably because he was standing directly under the skylight, but it almost seemed a halo glow shimmered around his snow-white head. Eyes of sky shined understanding, as he put out his hand in a placating gesture.

"Come, I'm sure this man means you no harm. Let's just look around, and I'm sure we can find whatever it is you've lost."

The voice was calm and soothing, the tone smooth enough to tame a wild animal, suggestions reasonable and practical…and exactly what Tall-guy didn't want to hear. He shoved against the peacemaker's chest.

"What's it to you, pansy boy?" he slurred out. Paine cringed.

_He's going to get pasted, poor sap_, she thought. Her fingers twitched. IF things escalated, she'd bail him out, but not till he'd learned to stay out of other people's problems. Tall-guy pushed again, but the futile mediator didn't move.

"Please, I don't want anyone to get-"

Time slowed down.

Paine rose as Tall-guy's fist flew towards the silver haired kid's chest.

The pacifist ducked and the swung went wide. From his crouched position, the long legged youth launched upward, twisted, swung his leg around and brought his heel to connect sharply with the back of Tall-guy's head in a beautiful back kick. Off balance, Tall-guy staggered forward, reaching for his scalp. The 'pansy boy' landed perfectly, maintained his balance and back flipped onto a table without knocking over a single glass or bowl.

Tall guy roared and lunged forward, arms and claw-like fingers outstretched. Paine blinked as the stranger jumped straight up and caught hold of one of the ceiling bars. He vaulted up, leaving Tall-guy to tumble over the table, sending glasses flying in all directions. The few other customers dodged the incoming projectiles. Paine herself had to sidestep to avoid a murderous fork.

The nimble defender dropped from his perch, bounced off Tall-guy's back, hugged his knees close, rolled to the floor and was vertical before most people had even registered his movement.

Paine was impressed. She'd had him pegged as a talker, yet he'd handled himself incredibly well. There was only one thing remaining. Short-guy muttered something that might have been thanks, and made a break for the door, but when he got there, he found it wouldn't open. He swiveled around to find himself face to face with his champion.

"You're not going already." The voice was still smooth but there was just a bit of an edge to it. _He wasn't even breathing hard_.

"If what you said was true, you have nothing to fear."

Short-guy began to tremble like grass in the wind. The white warrior took a step forward. Short-guy tried to retreat but the locked door blocked his way.

Paine didn't hear what was said next but when he came back, the albino-haired stranger was holding a small gold object, which he gently placed next to the unconscious Tall-guy. Paine could see it better then, as it glinted in the sunlight. A figurine of an angel, wings wide and outstretched. Its rescuer shook his head sadly.

"Such a waste. A lovely and sacred object like this should not be left in the care of such as you."

As if feeling her gaze on him, he looked up, locking eyes with Paine.

"Then why don't you take it?" she asked with a half shrug. His gaze was steady and sincere.

"Because it isn't mine," he answered simply, as if that was all there was to it. The café owner clapped his hands and they both turned toward him.

"Thank you, chaos. Although…I may have preferred you did it without breaking so many of my glasses."

A smile, slow and mirthful came across chaos' face.

"My apologies. Add up the cost and I will pay for it."

The owner shook his head and waved his hands.

"No, no. I much prefer people to know that we're not a harbor for thieves."

There was a ringing from the back of the room. The owner disappeared through a swinging door and reemerged a moment later.

"Perfect timing, too. The dock just called, chaos. Your ship is read."

Paine stiffened, but wouldn't get her hopes up. It could mean a variety of things. Luckily, the owner seemed content to ramble.

"I'm amazed they got it finished so quickly. Figured something that powerful would take forever to fix. But then, you usually take good care of her."

He nodded to chaos, who nodded back then walked to the door which hissed open. Short-guy was still shuddering in the corner, his eyes wide with fright.

Paine followed the strange young man out after paying for her mean (which really had been quite good). She didn't know what she'd say; it occurred to her that for all the time she'd spent looking for a pilot, she should have thought about it.

This world was busy, people walked from building to building, living out their lives; working, loitering, some in a hurry, some with nothing on their mind more serious than what color flower to buy for their girlfriend. Paine felt distinctly out of place, as if she was a black-and-white paper figure in a world of three-dimensional color. Sometimes she got pointed at, almost always by a woman. She WAS dressed far different from them, with their short skirts and strange jackets. It made her chuckle to wonder what they'd think if they could see her sword.

She eventually came to a clean, chrome hangar. _I swear, is everything on this world white or silver? _she wondered. It was a much more sterile world than she was use to, and the open exposure was making her more than a little uncomfortable. The strange white-haired man went to a small door off to the side, put his hand against the lock/receptor, and the door hissed up. Paine knew this would be the only chance she would get.

"Wait," she called. The young man stiffened, hesitated with his hand still on the receptor, then slowly turned around.

"Can I help you?" he asked, sincere, but a little wary. Paine closed the gap between them and stood a few feet away. She suddenly felt very foolish. How was she suppose to ask this?

"That was quite a spectacle you put on back there," she started, before mentally kicking herself. He-he'd been called chaos-didn't seem to notice her discomfort, and only shrugged.

"It shouldn't have needed to be done. Now, what do you want?"

Paine got a hold of herself, and began to speak, her voice level.

"My name is Paine. Myself and an associate of mine have been world hopping looking for a pilot. I don't know if you're interested-"

"I'm not really," he answered before she could finish. Paine masked her disappointment.

"If it's about payment-"

"It's not."

"Well, that's good, because we really couldn't pay you anyway."

He smiled, serenely, though somehow she felt he was laughing at her. He spread his hands.

"Please, don't misunderstand. It's just that I've only recently come from a rather arduous mission of my own and was looking forward to some unexcitement."

Paine raised a slender eyebrow. A sheepish smile crept across chaos' face.

"Although, it does seem excitement follows me around. In any case, I wish you luck in your-"

He was unable to finish his farewell as right then automatic gunfire was loosed on them. Paine dove and rolled out of the way, ducking behind a pile of crates. Her eyes searched for chaos. He, too had jumped to safety, and was leaning against the hangar, waiting for the firing to stop. They could clearly see each other, but their attackers were obscured.

"Friends of yours?" he asked, nodding in her direction. She nodded, and pulled her sword out. Now his eyebrows raised. She smiled fiendishly, then jumped over the crates. She landed square on her feet, and the fight was on. She was able to deflect the incoming gunfire with her sword—the Stigmon made it almost completely unbreakable—but it meant she kept having to move, not giving her a good view at the shooter. She DID see out of the corner of her eye though, a familiar white topped head, climbing the embankment where the firing seemed to be coming from. There were several thudding sounds and the gunfire stopped. Paine stood in the middle of the airfield, breathing heavily. A final thud and a scream preceded the sight of a flying body thrown off the embankment, arms flailing. He landed four feet from Paine who was on top of him in a flash.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

The attacker, whose face was covered by a dirty brown mask, gurgled something incoherent.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," she said, mockingly. She felt chaos by her side. He gingerly pulled the mask off. The face was young, only a little older than Paine, fair, but marred by the blood running out of his mouth. chaos sat him up.

"Th-the M-"

"The Master sent you?" Paine demanded. chaos glanced at her, questioningly, but her attention was focused on the poorly trained sniper. All he did was nod.

"Come, we should get him to a hospital," chaos suggested. Paine looked at him perplexed.

"He needs help," chaos went on, emphatically. The thought hadn't even occurred to Paine.

"Very well," she agreed, reluctantly. They began to pull the shootist to his feet when he suddenly pulled a knife. Before either Paine or chaos could react, the Stigmon released a brilliant flash of light, blinding the three of them. When the two almost-victims could see again, their would-be attacker was gone. All that was left was a pile of ashes. There were several long silent moments as they stared at the empty pavement.

"I'm almost afraid to ask but…did your sword just flash fry our attacker?" chaos asked, his tone a mix of disbelief and shock. Paine was more than a little startled herself. She'd had no idea it could do that. The term 'disturbing' hung heavy in the air. Paine looked up at chaos.

"Guess I can't blame you for not wanting to help us. I can almost guarantee you that this will happen…a lot."

He stood up, his face a shadowed mask. Paine recognized that look. The one she was looking for got that look when he was trying to decide what to do. A glimmer of hope sparked in Paine.

"What is it that you're trying to do?" he queried. Paine stood up. She was slightly taller than he was; though he was broader across the shoulders.

"I'm looking for someone. Last I saw him was on a dead planet. Most of the airships around here can't handle the distance."

She wanted to go on, say she was getting desperate, but pride, and a lingering distrust of most people kept her quiet. It didn't seem like he was going to answer, so she just nodded to him and said:

"Thanks for your help" before turning and walking away.

"Wait." This time he called her. He looked her directly in the eyes, seabreeze meeting lavaflame. He had this disconcerting way of making you feel guilty just by looking at you, as if they knew things about you that even you didn't know. She clenched her jaw, but wouldn't avert her gaze.

"These people…who are after you…they're after that, aren't they?" he pointed to her sword, and more specifically, the silver cross embedded into its blade. Paine nodded, seeing no reason to lie to him.

"And if they get it?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. Paine jerked her head towards the pile of ashes that use to be the young shooter.

"Then that fate will be waiting…for everyone."

He still seemed to be undecided, but finally, chaos nodded resolutely and said (much to Paine's relief):

"All right, I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

Having acquired an active form of transportation, Paine now felt antsy and anxious. She wanted to get out there, to find him, make sure he'd made it, that he hadn't-

"We are ready for takeoff, Paine," chaos' voice came over the intercom system. She strapped herself into the seat that had been assigned to her. chaos' ship was significantly larger than Leon's ship, the _Rinoa_. It came equipped with a pilot's seat, a copilot's seat and three passenger seats, each of which were deeply cushioned and had a double chest strap and a waist belt. There was more open space, more room to move in…although this didn't comfort Paine much, having been tossed around Leon's ship quite a bit.

The introductions between Vincent and chaos had been brief, but cordial. It was hard not to like the white haired young man. And while Vincent wasn't the most open individual on any world, he wasn't always as standoffish as he first appeared.

As soon as they took off, the reality of it all set in, and Paine was having trouble coming to grips with it. They were going, they were on their way. It had taken so long for Paine to find a pilot that she'd almost forgotten what she'd needed one for in the first place.

But she couldn't. She couldn't forget. While the nightmares of her past still haunted her at times, they were far less frequent than they had been, and instead were replaced with a sense of urgency, no words, just a feeling. The Master had tried to kill her on more than a few occasions, what would happen when he found Leon? It wasn't that Paine had any doubt about Leon's ability to defend himself, she just would have rather they fight together. In an esoteric way, she could wonder why this was. She didn't even know him incredibly well, but they'd made a good team. And she hadn't been part of a team for a very long time.

_See, this is the problem with space. Too much time to think._

She glanced over at Vincent, who was sitting straight up in his chair, but his eyes were closed, breathing slow and shallow. She wished she could sleep upright. But then, Paine had discovered, sleeping was overrated.

When they had broken free of the world's atmosphere and were flying straight through emptiness, she unbuckled her seatbelts and moved to the copilot's chair. She nodded to chaos, who looked up and smiled at her, before returning to driving.

"How long do you think it will take us?"

He shrugged, torn between concentrating on the control of the ship and trying to be cordial.

"From the coordinates you gave me, it shouldn't take long. That is, assuming we don't run into any problems."

Paine groaned inwardly, as she remembered Sevren and the little stint on the _Heaven's Kiss_. Yeah, she was familiar with those kinds of complications. She nodded acknowledgement to chaos and went back to the passenger area. She sat down and buckled herself in. For some reason, a wave of fatigue washed over her, and she fell asleep, her chin resting against the silver X on her chest.

She slept without dreaming. When she awoke, it was because someone was shaking her.

"Hmm, what?" Paine mumbled, opening her eyes and then quickly wincing as the harsh white light invaded them. Vincent's left hand was on her shoulder, his right (the organic one) on her head; chaos was leaning down, a concerned expression on his face.

"We were beginning to worry about you," he said quietly. Paine's brow furrowed.

"Why?" she asked, incredulously. chaos glanced at Vincent, who averted his gaze.

"You've been sleeping for a long time."

Her eyes became crimson slits.

"How long?"

"Well-"

"How. Long."

It was Vincent who answered.

"Almost half a day…and an entire night."

At first, she thought they were kidding. Then she HOPED they were kidding. But it was quite apparent that they weren't. She rubbed her forehead, trying to figure out how she could have stayed asleep for so long. Then another thought came to her.

"Are we there? Have we arrived?"

chaos nodded. Paine bolted out of her seat to one of the windows that lined the side of the ship.

"Uh-" chaos started, and the tone of his voice made her stop, before she looked outside.

"Well, what is it?" she demanded, hands across her chest.

"I swear, these are the right coordinates. It's just-"

Paine swiveled around and stared out the window, her breath lodged in her throat.

There was nothing but empty space.

The Dead Planet was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

_(Author's Note: I realized that some of our viewers may not be totally familiar with all the characters, so I am attempting to clafiry. The reason 'chaos' is never capitilized is because in the game he comes from (The Xenosaga Series), it's never capitilized. There's no accounting for why this is, it just is. Xenosaga is more science fiction than fantasy, and does actually take place in our Universe, just four thousand years in the future, but this little fact can be largely ignored. That's all for now.)_

Paine stumbled back to her chair, shell-shocked.

_How could it just be gone? An entire planet?_

And the most frightening question of all:

_Did he get off it in time?_

Vincent and chaos gave her a time of respected silence before chaos gently laid his gloved hand on her bare shoulder.

"Paine." No answer.

"Paine," his voice never raised, though he spoke more emphatically. She heard him, but it sounded like his voice was coming from a great distance.

"What do you want us to do now? There is another habitable planet in this system that we could check, if you would like."

Eyes unfocused, Paine replied, dazed: "Another planet? That wasn't in the archives before…"

She felt numb, nothing was registering. None of this made sense, and what's more, it wasn't FAIR.

chaos glanced at Vincent who just nodded. Returning to the cockpit, chaos turned the ship towards the unknown planet. Vincent knelt down in front of Paine and waited till he had her attention. Finally, her eyes lost their glazed look and she blinked at him.

"So your search will take a little longer than you had thought. That doesn't mean it's over or that you should give up. But what you do have to do is pull yourself together, or you will accomplish nothing."

A ghost of a smile played across Paine's face.

"You sound like you know what you're talking about, old man."

His expression mirrored hers, as he stood up and returned to his seat. Once again, Paine joined chaos in the cockpit, this time to get a good view of their new destination. chaos was reading something on a screen in front of him.

"There's definitely life down there, but it's hard to pin down its precise type."

Paine's fine brow furrowed as a thought came to her.

"Tell me, chaos…was your world affected by the Heartless Wars?"

He half turned and looked at her blankly.

"The what?"

"Never mind," she said quickly, and motioned that he should stay focused on flying. The planet was mainly brown in color, light, implying that it was dusty, water scarce. The atmosphere was obviously thin, but breathable. Paine's first thought was: _Hey, at least there won't be any killer storms._

Descent was quick and uneventful. Paine kept waiting for some unforeseen force to knock them out of the sky, but no such malignant hand was present.

They set down on the surface, kicking up a tornado of orange-brown silt. The boarding ramp descended with a mechanical whir.

Paine first noticed the strange smell in the thin air. It didn't smell like dust. Actually, it didn't smell like anything Paine could place her finger on. It was fairly open, only a few pillars of boulders littering the ground.

In the distance, though it was impossible to calculate how far it truly was, a few buildings were visible.

Paine put a hand against her forehead to block the sun.

"It looks deserted," chaos observed. Paine nodded in agreement. She felt very uneasy in front of this ghost town.

"What could have happened here?" Vincent asked, his voice muffled by the scarlet scarf tried around his face. Paine didn't want to stick around to find out.

Just then, a shriek split the air. Immediately, the three were on guard, weapons and fists raised in defense.

"Whatever that was, it wasn't human," Paine barked, back to back with chaos.

There was a skittering off to the right. As one, they all turned. The creature before them was completely black, shiny chrome and obviously ticked off.

The metallic looking plates that made up the armor of its back glistened in the harsh sunlight. Compared to its length, its head was relatively small and largely dominated by a set of huge mandibles. It was at least twelve feet long, with a massive abdomen help up by six skinny legs that certainly didn't look strong enough to support its weight. At its rear, a huge tail curved up then over, with a talon of bloodred at its end. Any question as to its intentions was answered as it reared up on its two hind legs and let out an earsplitting shriek. Obviously, it was hungry.

"Is it a fiend?" Vincent asked, fingering his pistol.

"Or a gnosis?" chaos countered.

"Gnosis, heartless, fiend, who cares!" Paine growled, "Just hurt it."

The world splintered as the three took on their giant insect-like foe.

Vincent, crackshot, sent a bullet right into the beast's left eye, half-blinding it, and making it convulse and roar in pain. chaos dashed forward, punching the creature once across the head, then with a fast uppercut (accompanied by what seemed like a power boost, visible by blue light) knocked the creature onto its back.

Paine was on it instantly, slashing at its soft underbelly. Dark blood, almost black, came out in spurts, but Paine dodged them, having no interest in being coated in sticky fluid.

She had thought it was down for the count, when it surprised her by using its tail to flip itself upright, and bore down on top of her. Its razor jaws snapped towards her neck and there was no doubt in her now frantic mind that it could easily snap her head off. She pulled her sword up to her face, and the creature bit down on it instead. The blade sparked, and immediately after yelping, the creature let go. It came at her again, now too enraged to notice pain or discomfort, wanting only to destroy.

Vincent was still shooting at it, but his bullets just ricocheted off the beast's thick armor. chaos was rubbing his hand where he had attempted to punch the creature in the side, and his hand had bounced off. Now, seeing their companion in dire straits, they returned to the fight with renewed vigor. chaos jump side-kicked the beast, shoving it sideways just enough that Vincent was able to let loose a barrage of ammunition into its stomach. It staggered to the side, to weak to keep itself upright. But it had one last offensive. With suprising dexterity, its stinging tail swung around. Lucky for chaos' head (and obviously the rest of him) it caught him sideways, only sending him sprawling to the ground and knocking the wind out of him. Next it swung at Vincent, stinger headed straight for his chest. He tensed, crouched and as the fatal blow hurtled toward him, he jumped straight up, twisting in the air, landing a perfect backflip a good three feet away from his original location. The creature shrieked in frustration, attempting to scuffle, pushing itself on its stomach as its lifeblood trailed out behind it.

With the weight of the creature off her chest, Paine had to take a few moments to retain breath. She rolled as the stinger came snapping down on her, and it harmlessly gouged a hole in the soft ground. It tried again, and again she rolled out of the way, though this time it almost snagged on the thin cloth that covered her armor. The next time it raised, shining and ominous, she rolled the other way, finding herself yet again looking up at the creature's underside. Carefully pointing her massive sword up, she trhust and buried it in the place right behind the beast's head. Her eyes widened as she realized the flaw in her plan and she had to scurry out quickly before the hole thing finally collapsed, crushing everything beneath it, which almost included her. Gingerly, she removed her sword, and the creature didn't even twitch, a final testament to its demise.

Vincent wasted no time in reloading his pistol, before giving it a fancy spin and returning it to its holster. chaos picked himself up off the ground, brushing off his flight suit and wagging his head to shake the red dust from his white hair. Paine wiped blood from her forehead.

They were all breathing hard, but they were alive and intact.

"Well, I guess that answers the question as to where the last denizens of this world are," Vincent stated the obvious. chaos looked down and closed his eyes sadly.

"Poor innocent souls. May they all rest in peace."

Paine was less concerned about that just now. If Leon wasn't on this world, then where was he?

_Meanwhile, on another world, still safe:_

"You can't stop me from going."

"Oh, yes, I can."

"I can help them!"

"And you could get yourself killed, and I just can't allow that."

"You're not my mother or father, you have no authority over me."

"Please, I'm asking you as a friend, don't do this. They can handle it…"

"But this is bigger than we though, and someone should warn them. Besides, if they find him, I'm sure Leon would like his ship back. I can take it to them."

Long silence.

"I don't want to see you hurt."

"You are a good friend, the last thing I want is to cause you pain. But this is too important. I HAVE to do this, Cloud."

"Be careful, Tifa."

Vincent and chaos were worried about Paine. They hadn't known her long enough to be able to read her constantly hard features, but both new the heavy silence was not a good omen.

chaos had tried to be comforting: "It's just another step. No need to be disappointed."

Paine had just stared past him, a bleak darkness in her eyes. The months of searching were obviously beginning to take their told, but she was strong, Vincent said, and she would hold up just fine.

She was just thinking, he said. But chaos, who was more perceptive than most, could see that he was concerned, too.

But whatever deity they believed in, It chose to smile on them then, for at that moment, just as chaos was preparing for takeoff, his ship gave a chirp.

It was like she had just woken up.

"What is that?" Paine demanded, pointing to the 'blip' on chaos' nav-screen.

"There's a large concentration of life, just on the other side of this colony," came the quick reply. All was hushed for a moment.

"Well, what are you waiting for!" Paine exclaimed in a '_Let's get going'_ tone of voice. chaos looked at her blandly.

"Because the computer says it's almost exclusively those things we just fought."

Paine didn't miss the discrepancy.

"_Almost_?"

chaos nodded acknowledgement of her wish, and the ship rose off the ground. They kept close to the surface, skirting the boundaries of the town.

chaos 'hit the brakes' as they came around the last tall building to a monstrous sight.

There were dozens of the black beasts, all swarming to one area. In the center, the focal point of this pandemonium, a lone figure slashed and hacked, fighting desperately for life.

"What is it?" Vincent murmured, obviously shocked. Paine already knew, and had known from the moment she'd seen the gathering creatures.

"It's Leon."


	5. Chapter 5

And indeed, there was no mistaking the tall figure, dwarfed as he was by the monsters that surrounded him. His huge sword, with the signature gun motif, hacked and slashed its way around, slicing off legs, mandibles—yet always there was another enemy, another stinger flying at him.

Who else would have been foolish enough to take on so many enemies on his own? But then, who else had the absolute certainty that he could do that and win?

chaos' ship was a silent bird, but the creatures were incredibly sensitive to vibrations in the ground and it didn't take long for them to become aware of the new presence. A few of them straggled off, attempting to 'investigate' this shiny being, but that didn't mean that most lost interest in the much smaller and more exposed morsel already within reach.

chaos expertly navigated the ship right over the swarm and opened the bottom hatch. Paine caught a glimpse of Leon disappearing under a sea of chrome black, right before she and Vincent leapt down, blasting away (that is, Vincent blasted, and Paine's sword just blew a hole through four of them…at once).

There were significantly more of the beasts than they had fought before, but now they knew the secret to defeat it, what to watch out for and where the weak spots were.

Everything seemed to be spinning in a blur, there was one monster, it went down, then another, then another…

Eventually, all lay in ruined, sticky heaps, a few still attempting to move, but soon giving way to mortality.

Paine's head swiveled around, and her eyes roved, searchingly. She saw Leon yank the Gunblade upward and a beast lost its head.

All her months of searching, the dead ends, the frustration, it was there, but it didn't matter so much. Now, she was faced with a new, scarier concept. What was it she was suppose to say?

Whatever she was expecting HIM to do, he didn't deliver. He barely glanced at her as he went around the battle, making sure all the creatures were dead. It wasn't until he had finished this morbid task that he spoke to her, and this was in passing as he stalked by her at a fast clip, before she was able to even get out a greeting.

"Is that your ship?"

"It belongs to a friend, but-"

"Tell him to get it off the ground. Now."

Paine ground her teeth. He was ordering her around as if she was a juvenile. She rushed to catch up and halted in front of him, not letting him continue. HE stopped, but didn't look at her, just stared past her, watchful.

"Why should I l-"

"That was just a small hunting party. Undoubtedly, between the noise the ship is generating and the noise those things made, the rest of the colony will soon join. You don't want to be here when they come."

"WE came for you!" she shot back, her voice heated by rage. She struggled to maintain control of her emotions, but she couldn't keep the disdain from seeping into her tone.

"I'm sorry, maybe you were too busy decapitating bugs to notice, but we just saved your life."

"I could have taken them. I didn't need nor ask for your interference."

She was completely taken aback.

"INTERFERENCE? Do you have any idea how long-"she stopped short. His reaction had not been what she anticipated and now she had no inclination to share details of her search with him. He obviously wasn't interested. Fortunately, for all involved, Leon had been too distracted by watching for other creatures (not to mention the extremely vexed Warrior throwing mental spears in his face) to notice the oh-so-silent Vincent come up behind him. He barely had to time to register the odd glint in Paine's dark eyes before everything blacked out.

Vincent lowered his gun.

"He's not going to be pleased when he wakes up, correct?" he asked, as he manhandled the unconscious form up.

"Oh, he'll want to kill you. And likely everything with a five mile radius," Paine answered, instantly.

"Sounds like a charmer," a soft voice said behind them. chaos had lowered the ramp.

"I'm sure deep down, he's really an old softie," Paine didn't even try to stop the sarcasm dripping from her words.

It took all three of them to get Leon on the ship, and it turned out he was right. As the ramp closed, they were gifted with the sight of a thousand black bodies stampeding towards them.

chaos wasted no time, lifting the ship straight up off the ground, and firing the thrusters to shoot them out of the atmosphere. For the safety of all the passengers, they put Leon in what chaos had called 'Solitary'. He said he used it to pray, and indeed, it did resemble a chapel, with a few unlit candles, beautiful windows (Which obviously were dark now, with no light to shine through and illuminate their brilliant colors) and a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. There was a bench, and on this they lay the sleeping Gunblade Weilder. Paine was last to leave, looking down on the object of her prolonged search.

She had never been much of a talker. Not for a lack of things to say, simply for a distrust of those around her, and fear of letting anyone get close enough to hurt her. The armor she wore was not just on the outside.

She had thought she could trust him, had thought he trusted her. Obviously, she'd been wrong. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but she told herself that she should have seen it coming.

It wasn't like he owed her anything. How many times had he saved her life, and she just left him down in that cave. Oh, sure, they both probably would have died, and the Master would have gotten the Stigmon, but still-

Was it worth it?

She didn't know anymore. AS far as she was concerned, they could drop his sorry ass off at the first world they found, now matter how hostile. She had fulfilled her promise, now she could move on.

A treacherous voice within her whispered:

_Move on to what?_

The door hissed shut behind her with a click that had the ring of finality. She remembered to start breathing again. Quietly, trying to be unobtrusive, she sat down gingerly, being careful of the numerous scrapes and bruises on her back. Vincent wasn't there, but it wasn't hard to deduce his location—the medical center, getting supplies.

Paine leaned forward, resting elbows on knees and burying face in hands. She felt so weary and yet angrier than she had for a long time. She'd forgotten how infuriating he could be.

"You did the right think, you know," the soft, mellow voice of chaos broke into her reverie. She raised her head. He was standing on what they jokingly referred to as 'The Observation Deck': a raised platform in front of an especially large window. It gave an excellent view of the astral bodies they encountered.

But chaos was facing away then, regarding Paine with calm, cool sky eyes. She didn't answer him, but he'd grown accustomed to that. Of the three, chaos talked the most, not because he was a jabber head (Paine doubted he ever said anything unless it had significant meaning) but because he could carry on whole conversations with people's facial expressions. It was a rather disconcerting gift, in Paine's opinion, especially because it made him seem like he could read minds.

"You made a promise, you set out with a mission, and you followed it through, despite numerous frustrations and discouraging set backs." He wasn't telling her anything new, but to hear him say it in his confident way was uplifting. He continued to speak as if she had replied.

"He is a troubled soul. Unsettled, turmoil-ed. It does not surprise me that he wished to keep fighting alone and didn't want our help." He gave her a quiet, knowing smile. "Would YOU have liked being pulled from battle by strangers?"

She had to admit, she wouldn't. But then, even she wouldn't be stupid enough to take on so many enemies at once. She hadn't been like that in a long time. And when she had, her state of mind had been…bleaker. She knew how you had to think to be that reckless.

You had to have a death wish.

He woke up feeling groggy, thought processes trying to race their way through gelatin. At first, he thought his eyes were still closed because it was so dark, but gradually, small points of lighter darkness made themselves known. He tried to set up and his head screamed in protest. He placed a gloved hand against his temple wondering where the guy with the nail gun was. He wanted to make him stop shooting.

All at once, things came back to normal. He was a fast healer and never stayed under the weather for long. The events leading up to him waking up in this dark room raced at him all at once. His other hand had been holding onto an ornate post on the top end of the bench. As he thought of all that happened, he snapped the post off. _How dare she? How DARE she! What right did she have-_

Various words and images, most involving horrible gruesome death and all involving crudeness chased themselves around his aching head. The reasonable part of his brain, the part that was never affected by emotion, the cool calculating section that kept him alive told him that he was being irrational, that she and her cronies had probably saved his life and that he should be thankful, or at least not wanting to rip them all limb from limb. He was ignoring it.

Leon swung his legs down to the floor, which was hard-in fact, it felt like marble. That caught his attention. _Marble on an airship? That's uncommon. _He took a closer look around the room. Being so dark, it was hard to make out details, and it wasn't like he hung out in churches a lot, but he knew what it was. A place to pray. Leon snorted. He'd never understood the point of prayer; it just seemed like a glorified way of talking to yourself. It was eerily quiet, he kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. A strange sensation entered the back of his head. This place was safe. It was a ridiculous notion, no place was ever truly safe, but the illusion was certainly there. He felt very uncomfortable, he didn't belong there, he was out of place. It was harder to breathe, the air seemed so close in. He stood up and walked towards what was the only door in the room. He groped for a doorknob but came up empty. There were buttons though, with arrows pointing towards or away from each other. He put his finger up the 'Away' button, which he assumed was 'Open', then stopped. He needed a plan, had to figure out how he was he was going to play this. He just wanted them to drop him off at the nearest planet, no matter how hostile.

He stepped back and rubbed his face. This is why he didn't like being around people. Everything got complicated. Especially with her. He'd really, really hoped he wouldn't have to see her again.

But he couldn't stay forever in this temple of delusion, and he'd have to face them sooner or later. Might as well get it out of the way now.

The door hissed open, letting in a flood of light.

Vincent turned as he heard someone enter the supply room. It was chaos, his slender frame outlined in the doorway.

"Who's driving the ship?" Vincent asked.

"I put it on autopilot," was the answer. Vincent continued his task, leaving chaos to be silent or say what was on his mind.

"Are you able to find everything?" chaos stalled. Vincent nodded without turning around. Long moments passed.

"How did you get brought into this?" chaos finally asked, though Vincent could tell that it wasn't the most pressing question in his mind. Vincent shrugged, his metallic arm clinking with the motion.

"I was hired for the job. She's a competent fighter, but with all the people gunning for her, some extra muscle was needed."

Shuddering at the memory of the young assassin, chaos nodded acknowledgment. Then he lifted one shoulder in a half shrug, and smiled.

"Really, I don't mind one way or another, as long as they don't mess around with my ship."

Vincent nodded and hoped he wouldn't be mopping them both off the floor.


	6. NonChapter2

Someone recently sent me a note asking me to update this story. I actually have another chapter ready, but before I commit to picking this up again and really finishing it, I need to know enough people are interested. If I can get just three people to reply (Send a review, whatever, you know the drill ;)) then I will finish this story. I apologize for not doing it before, and I offer no excuses cause they've all been used already. Just...the story wasn't coming. I think I can get it now, but I need to know that it's worth it.

So if you'd like to read it, please let me know, and I won't let you down this time.

AV


	7. Chapter 7

When the door opened, Paine knew it was Leon, without even having to turn around. She could tell from the way the air seemed to be sucked out of the room, from the determined and heavy footfalls, and the way her spine stiffened on its own. When he stopped, she could tell exactly where he was: directly behind her, two feet back. She made sure she had full control of herself before she slowly turned, but even then, she had to take a deep breath as a single thought thudded into her skull. _I'd forgotten how big he is_.

He was just standing there, taking in the details of the ship, as if he'd never seen one of this type before (which was entirely possible).

"Where are we?" he asked, head still swiveling around, voice calm and even. To the uninitiated, it would have seemed that he'd gotten over his anger and (dare hope) had decided to forgive her. But then he looked directly at her, eyes locking, fire and ice. And Paine knew him too well, could recognize the calculating anger in his eyes, the way his voice nearly wavered with barely checked rage, and she knew he NEVER forgave. She shrugged, trying to keep it all business.

"chaos' ship, the _StarSong_."

He took another look around, probably storing details like doorways, controls and such.

"Are you hungry?" It was a mundane question, and out of place given the circumstances, but she needed some way to break the ice. His eyes again met hers, and if there'd been any doubt that he was still homicidally angry with her, they dissipated instantly.

"No, thank you."

_Oh, Yevon, he's being polite. Now I know it's bad_. She suppressed a sigh of aggravation. He was walling her, not letting her get anywhere, but at least he hadn't tried to snap her neck yet.

"Look, I don't know how long it'll be and I doubt you've eaten recently." She took a step towards him and immediately, he stiffened, stepped back and went into a unarmed defensive position. Paine decided she'd had enough of this nonsense.

"I'm not your enemy, dammit, and I don't want to fight you. I mean you no harm," her words came out fast and hard, but still controlled.

He straightened, while spitting out:

"No, you just show up uninvited and interrupt a fight that's none of your business, yeah, you're a saint."

His words stung, but she refused to be cowed. She gave a short, bitter laugh.

"Ha. That wasn't a fight, it was self-execution, you were TRYING to get yourself killed." She saw a flicker in his eyes and knew she'd hit the right button.

"What do you want from me, huh? You got the Treasure, I fulfilled my part of the contract."

Her voice was so soft, so low, he almost didn't hear her.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

He spun slowly for her inspection, arms held straight out.

"See? I'm fine."

She shook her head, eyes as lifeless and dark as a cadavers.

"No. What I see is a foolish boy who's decided he's got nothing to live for and is too cowardly to just face it and deal with it, so he goes to fight one pointless battle after another, instead of utilizing his skills where it could help other people."

The words were biting and harsh, but she meant every word. Leon clenched and unclenched his fists.

"What do I care for other people, what have they ever done for me?"

"Well, for starters, I believe WE just saved your life."

"And I suppose you want thanks for that."

"No, I want you to grow up."

"Just who do you think you are?"

"I think I'm the person who's been looking for you for almost half a year."

He stilled. They were both breathing heavily, the blood pounding in their ears. He spoke quietly, and more than a little condescendingly, as if she was a child who wouldn't understand.

"Look, I'm not sure what kind of relationship you might think we have or had, but I'm afraid it was a misapprehension."

She just stared at him, incredulously. Then she laughed again.

"What? You think THAT'S what this is about? I didn't think twice about that. Wow," she shook her head, "For someone who's tired of living, you sure are full of yourself."

She backed up a few steps, her expression blank and cold.

"I'm sorry, sir, I seem to have mistaken you for someone else. It is my mistake and I apologize. I thought you were something you're obviously not." She turned and strode to the door. It hissed open, but before she went through, he asked:

"What was that?"

She glanced back at him, then faced the darkness of the opening.

"A hero," she replied, as she disappeared.

On the other side of the door, Paine took another calming breath. It disturbed her, this effect he had on her self-control. She'd never met a person she wanted to kill so badly. So why had she wasted so much time and effort to find him? She supposed, as she raked her fingers through jet silver hair, she wanted to finish what she started. And he was part of that mission. The problem she faced now was…could she really believe the mission was over?

Leon pounded his fist sideways into a wall, his head hanging low. That hadn't been the way he'd wanted this to go down. To be honest, he wasn't sure what he wanted. He HADN'T wanted to be brought on this ship, he hadn't wanted to be picked up, he hadn't wanted to see her again—and yet, now that he had, the black and white universe he thought he inhabited had been tipped upside down again. It was her eyes, he knew. The way they regarded him, so coolly, as if they would strip away all the walls he'd worked so hard to raise and leave him exposed and in the open for her to inspect and discard. It disturbed him, this affect she had on his self-control.

He leaned against the wall he'd accosted and closed his eyes, wishing the light didn't burn them so. His fingers reached up and gently felt the scar that almost divided his face. _How do I get myself into these situations?_ he pondered.

A hero. That's what she'd called him, the silent accusation hanging heavily in the air. He had disappointed her, let her down somehow. That shouldn't have mattered to him, but it did. He told himself that it was because he didn't want this little wretch of a girl telling what he was and was not.

So the question became: What was he going to do now? Try and prove her wrong? Turn his back on everything and start over somewhere else, return to his nomadic existence? No matter what, he and she were back at square one, and that would put a strain one whatever he decided. And did he really want to go back to the life he had before? If you could even call it a life: moving from place to place, fighting 'one pointless battle after another', praying that memories of her wouldn't keep him up at night.

Ah, yes. _Her_. The real reason he hadn't wanted to come back. After the…events leading up to his being trapped in the caverns under the surface of the Dead Planet, he felt he'd betrayed her memory, and that his situation was punishment for shirking the burden of his guilt, even for a moment. In a sad, perverse way, a large factor in his never wanting to see Paine again, was the fear of being tempted to do so again. But she said she hadn't thought twice about it, so obviously HE had read the situation wrong. So if it didn't matter to her, perhaps it was alright to stay here, he wouldn't be betraying the one he'd lost. They were so different, the two of them, but he couldn't picture them together, couldn't form an image of them both simultaneously in his mind. It was because, he was sure, they belonged to two completely separate universes. Different lifetimes. The same way he felt he was two different people: who he had been and who he was now.

_But…what did he want now?_

"I wouldn't argue with her, if I were you," a voice as calm as rain broke into his train of thought. Leon opened his eyes. It was the white-haired one, the one who looked so young.

"And who are you?" Leon countered. The young man put out a gloved hand.

"I am chaos," he replied, nothing but gentle sincerity in his voice. Leon raised an eyebrow.

"YOU'RE chaos? You own this magnificent vessel?"

The young man's blue eyes shone with pride and his mouth turned up in a small smile.

"Yes, this is my freedom." He cocked his head to one side. "Tell me, if I may ask…what is your freedom?"

Leon blinked. He thought of a dozen half-answers, things that wouldn't really mean anything. Yet something told him that such an attempt wouldn't work with this strange individual with the serene expression. You just…couldn't lie to him. It made Leon really stop and think about it. What did freedom even mean?


	8. Chapter 8

The meeting wasn't required. They could have chosen to ignore the request but when there are only four people on a ship of no large size, it was difficult to avoid one another.

Vincent arrived in the storeroom first, to find Paine sitting back in a chair, her legs propped up on a metal box, arms wrapped around her torso, protecting an old wound.

Leon entered next, obviously reluctantly, taking up position on the opposite wall in his customary leaning-arms crossed with his head down. Paine ignored him. Several minutes passed in tense silence. Vincent's face was a shadow, with only his molten eyes visible as slits behind heavy lids. Finally chaos burst through the door, slightly out of breath.

"I beg your forgiveness, I was occupied with other matters."

Paine gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement, mildly curious as to what would keep the pilot, but decided later would be better to ask.

"I've asked you here to asses where we stand and to update everyone on the situation," she looked at each of them in turn, but chaos noticed her eyes didn't linger on Leon for very long. In fact, it looked like the tall Gunblade wilder was sleepy, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed, eyes closed and face passive.

"I appreciate how long you to have stayed with me, chaos…Vincent, even though I've kept you in the dark about many things. I'm sure you've pieced together some of the puzzle." She stopped and dropped her legs, a look of impatient frustration on her face as she stood up.

"Look, this is how it is. There are people trying to kill us—to kill me. They want this-" she motioned to her sword, and more specifically, the metal and gem cross.  
"-I can't let them have it. Now I don't ask any of you to stay, you're welcome to leave."

There was more that she wanted to say it seemed, but Paine had never been one for words if actions would work better. So she strode out of the room without glancing behind, muttering 'It doesn't matter to me' under her breath.

There was silence. Tension reigned in the storeroom. Inexorably, three pairs of eyes…eyes of ice, eyes of sky, eyes of flame…were drawn to the silver blade sitting innocuously off to one side. Whether it had been left there on purpose or not was irrelevant, the point had been driven home.

Vincent was first to leave the room, in the same way he'd been first to enter it. As the door swished open and he passed Leon, the 'newcomer' stopped him with a question.

"You sure you know what your'e doing?"

Vincent stopped though he had his answer already. He was being paid to help Paine and he would honor his contract. Even still, had he owed her nothing, he'd have stayed behind. Perhaps it was his mindset as a soldier, maybe it was part of his penance. But he knew his decision to stay was the right one, something told him that things were much bigger, more serious than they appeared. An ultimate fate was to be decided. He said nothing but Leon got his response. chaos seemed less interested in the sword and more interested in Leon and his apparent lack of responsiveness. Though he spoke quietly from the other side of the room, every word could be heard clearly.

"What will…you do?"

Leon didn't reply, but chaos hadn't really expected him to. Eventually chaos faded off too, though Leon didn't actually see him leave. After a while, he just wasn't there anymore, leaving Leon alone with his thoughts and his anger. Like Vincent, he'd been trained to be a soldier, and he was very good at fighting. He was more aware than anyone the inherent risks of the situation, but his hesitation was not brought about by fear. As an unpaid mercenary he had little motivation to stay. And there were all the migraine-inducing complications…

What stopped him from taking his ship and disappearing into the black was Valentine. Stripped of all externals, he and Leon were identical, they bother were there for the same original reason. Payment. chaos wasn't, Leon knew, but he knew chaos's type—always doing the right things for the right reasons. But the motivation for the other two was gone now, yet Vincent seemed determined to stay which forced Leon to consider why, though he really knew already and simply wanted a way out of it. In the end, it was a matter of doing what your instincts tell you to, and right now, though his mind and body desperately wanted out, his soul was telling him to stay and see what happened.


	9. Chapter 9

_(Author's Note: Okay, so here we go. I hate to make another excuse but I must. Currently, I'm working on getting MS Word on this computer. I should have it later today, but when this chapter was written, I was using Wordpad. That being said, I beg your forgiveness for any spelling and/or grammatical errors that you find. Thank ye, all.)_

That night, Paine lay awake in the quarters chaos had given to her. In his perceptive awy, he'd chosen wisely, for the room was dark, with only one window to display the rushing stars. The bed was comfortable enough, with a solid blue blanket to keep away the icy cold

The walls were bare, but not a sterlie silver, like the _Rinoa _had been. Like the hairof her owner, all of the _StarSong'_s panels were soft, white and subdued. Paine was aware of all of this but she paid it no mind as she stared up at the grated ceiling, her arms over her chest.

She hadn't had any nightmares for a long time, in fact the past couple of months had been some of the most restful she'd had in a long time. She supposed that was because her mind had been so focused on other things. Things that were no longer an issue, nor even worth wasting any more mental or physical energy on.

Her teeth ground in agitation. She did **not **like this kind of mission, a kind of rabbit chase, a game of escape and evade. She wanted it to be over, to not have to look over her shoulder constantly. The dark side of her ind (or at least the _darker _side) whisperd '**Then what**?'. She didn't want to go back to where she'd been, lost and wandering. She needed...a war, a fight, a purpose. How long had she been like that? Only validated by who she wanted to hurt, or keep from wanting to hurt her? Unwillingly, her mind rolled back to a time, another war. She had been near the center, yet not. That place belong to someone else.

_What happened to that Paine?_

_She's still there, sleeping inside you._

_So wakey wakey!_

She couldn't remember if that was exactly how it'd gone and she knew she could always find out...she had the Spheres. But it didn't matter much, the point remained, unchanged.

_That was different_, she told herself. She had backup then, had others she knew she could depend on. At least, she'd thought so. Paine rolled over, as if to hide from the stabbing mental ache. Both times she'd been at peace like that, it was largely due to the fact she knew she wasn't alone.

That option wasn't open anymore. She had a galaxy o hunters and killers gunning for her and she coudln't be bothered with making sure someone wasn't in the way.

It was just a risk she couldn't afford to take.

Still...it left her alone in the darkness. Perhaps that's why Leon's behavior dug at her--she'd almost let him be someone she thought she could depend on. _Won't do **that **again_, she thought to heself, a reminding promise.

Vincent and chaos were good solid men, she knew, but chaos wasn't even from the same universe and Vincent had his own blackness to fight.

No, she was alone. A thin, sardonic smile crossed her lips.

_Just the way I like it..._

Conversely, Leon was sleeping just fine.Or at least, he was sleeping, although given the option, he probably would have preferred to regain consciousness. chaos had given him his own room as well, mainly because Leon had threatened to open a vital airlock if he was made to sleep in the Chapel again. His room was almost identical to Paine's although they were on opposite ends of the ship...a fact everyone was aware of, but no one commented on. Leon found it very patronizing, like parents separating two unruly children. Like he couldn't control himself. If there was one thing that Leon prided himself in, it was his unshakeable self control. On the other hand...he was glad she was elsewhere, far away. Of course, he wasn't thinking this right now, because all his mental functions were aimed towards the dream (nightmare?) setting his brain on fire..

_Another world, another storm. He'd seen too many to pay this one much mind, even though he knew with absolute certainty that he was at the center. It was just one more storm. The wind howled at his ambivalence, whipping his shoulder length hair around his face, covering his eyes and scar, which began to throb. He reached up to feel it and found blood dripping from his gloved hand, sliding down his arm. He couldn't tell if it was his blood or not, but even more so, he found it didn't matter to him one way or another. He looked around again. He was aware that he was dreaming because the scenery kept shifting and morphing, one landscape into another. An island became a mountain which became a forest, which became a desert...But the storm never stopped raging. As far as he could tell, he was alone, although if he looked hard enough into the distance, he could almost swear that faces came out of the clouds, only to be blown away a moment later. The blood never stopped flowing down his arm, but since he couldn't tell where it was coming from, he made no effort to try and stop it. In a perverse way, he hoped it was his. He began to walk, with nowhere particular to go, just to move. The landscape changed yet again, this time throwing an imposing stone castle in his path. He approached it warily, as it the huge entrance would grow fangs and devour him. His face was now a beacon of pulsating pain, each time feeling like someone was thrusting a glass shard into his forehead, but he pushed these sensations out of his miind and focused on the architecture in front of him. The castle was so big, the top disappeared into the boiling clouds._

_He heard something behind him, and spun to see what was attempting to sneak up, yet as his eyes scanned where he'd come from, he found nothing but...nothingness. Suddenly, the sound of sweet laughter wafted around his ears, and he spun again, even more startled. Again, the laugh cut through the rolling fog like a silver bolt, diffuse yet clear. Leon stopped looking for the voice, deciding that, as this was a dream, if he was suppose to find it, it could come to him.  
"I'm getting really tired of getting jerked around," he muttered darkly. The laughter became louder, and he knew for sure that it was directed at him. _

_**"No one pulls you but you, little soldier."**_

_Leon closed his eyes and focused his mind. The voice had many layers, mainly sounding like a clear bell, a childlike innocence. But there were older, more mature voices laced in with it._

_Look, I'm not really good with the whole hidden lesson thing, so if you're trying to tell me something, whoever you are, you might as well just come out with it."_

_More laughter, echoing all around him._

_**"Who said there had to be a lesson, little soldier? Perhaps you are trying too hard to find something...tell us...what are you expecting to learn?"**_

_Leon clenched his jaw, his eyes still closed. The wind picked up even more speed, pounding in beat with the torment of his head, as it tried to push him over, to bend him before it. He held fast, legs apart to maximize balance, even though he knew it was his mental obstinance that kept him from tumbling to and fro. _

_**"What do you want?"**_

_"I don't know. What do you want?"_

_**"No fair, you're not playing right."**_

_"I don't like playing."_

_**"You used to."**_

_Leon didn't know what she meant, so he went with the first answer that came to his head._

_"Things change."_

_**"We don't. We are always. What do you want?"**_

_"What do you want from me!"_

_This time, the laughter was so loud, it was deafening, drowing out the wind's cry. He put his blood soaked hands over his ears to drown out the striking cacophany. His face now slick with blood, he gave an incoherent roar, a yell with no words, only the expression of pain, frustration and anger. He collapsed to his knees, all the air gone from his lungs, his muscles having lost all will to stay upright. He choked on his first breath, forcing himself to take another. _Can't fight on your knees_, he thought, the only coherent notion echoing in his mind. The storm had stopped, and all was still and quiet. His breathing still coming in short, shallow gasps, he opened his eyes and stared at his hands, all evidence of the gore that had been there not a few minutes previously, completely gone. Through gritted teeth, a breath between each word, he rasped out:_

_"What...do you...want...from...me?"_

_There was a quiet giggle, as the voice grew fainter and farther away._

_**"We want to watch you play. Play for us, little soldier."**_


	10. Chapter 10

Vincent found chaos on the Observation Deck, staring out the window. At least, he seemed to be staring, yet when Vincent approached him, the snow-haired pilot turned his head and seemed to stare right through Vincent, as if looking through a shadow. Instantly, Vincent felt the familiar twinge of something being off.

"What is it?" he asked, quietly, trying not to break chaos' reverie.

"Something's here," he replied, his voice an even monotone. Instinctively, Vincent reached for Cerberus, his dog-headed pistol, but chaos shook his head, to say that it would not be necessary.

"They've gone already," chaos informed him, blinking and regaining focus, looking as if he'd just woken up from a deep slumber.

"Who?" Vincent inquired, trying to figure out who could have snuck onto the ship without being detected. chaos shrugged, as if it was of no great importance.

"I don't think they meant any harm. You may want to leave our...guest alone for a little while though. I have a feeling he's going to be needing more than his fair share of sleep."

Vincent was puzzled by this v ague answer, but then, many things about chaos puzzled him. Still...one less fight.

"Do you know what our next destination is?" Vincent asked, evenly. chaos smiled, his signature expression of 'knowing something you don't' alighting his cherubic features but he shook his head.

"You didn't know it would be like this when you signed the contract, did you?" chaos returned with his own question. Vincent stared at his left hand...well, claw, encased in a segmented gauntlet of burned gold. He flexed the digits, slicing at air. Under the red scarf he wore around his head, he glanced at chaos, who was regarding him peculiarly. Vincent found this interesting, because it was very rare that people looked directly at him. It seemed to make them uncomfortable. But chaos exhibited no discomfort in the strange dark warrior's presence...in fact, he never showed any discomfort at any time.

Eventually, Vincent took his leave of chaos, and made his way back to his own room. It was the darkest quarter on the ship, much darker than the rooms Leon and Paine were inhabiting. He had requested one like that, and chaos had accomodated him by giving him the only room with black walls, and no windows. He, chaos, hadn't asked any questions, had merely procured the room, as if by magic.

Now, Vincent sat in the darkness, on the edge of his bed, staring into oblivion. His thoughts were not jumbled, because he was not that sort of man. Instead, different images and concepts and ideas that floated towards him, out of the void. He turned, and looked at the space he was meant to sleep. In his lifetime, he had slept a lot. Sleep was a bringer of brief respite from the cares of the world, a way to rest and gain strength. Yet as he flexed the muscles in his arms, covered in the thick black fabric he wore, he knew no rest would be offered him this night. Even though chaos had said the beings...whatever they were, had gone, he didn't trust the absence of things he couldn't see in the first place. Perhaps somehow he knew that they were DreamMasters, and he was protecting his mind and the secrets hidden away in it.

It is far more likely though, he simply didn't want to dream of her.

Like Leon, Vincent was haunted by a face, a voice...a collection of memories. And like Leon, the warm remembrance brought with it the heavy bitter burden of guilt. Eventually, Vincent moved off his bed, which had suddenly become uncomfortable, and sat down in the darkest corner of his room. He brought one knee up and rested his 'good' arm on it, while his other leg stretched straight out in front of him. He rested his forehead on his raised knee and closed his incandine eyes, indulging himself in a brief moment to think of her. Just her face, her eyes, her smiled...and then he pushed it away, put it back in the dark drawer of his personality where it would stay till he took it out again. Eventually, exhaustian took him, and he passed into a deep, dreamless sleep.

And the night continued.

The interior lights of the _StarSong _slowly brightened, as if to simulate a silicone sunrise. chaos woke first as always, making his rounds and checking each of the ship's systems, adjusting controls here, changing the settings there. His ship was completely defensible and boasted a highly advanced weapons system, but there was no inner security system. None of the rooms had cameras, or locks. When Paine had asked him about this, he'd regarded her very calmly, without smiling and said with all sincerity that it was not necessary. She hadn't asked him about it anymore after that.

By the time Paine came out of her quarters, chaos had already finished his morning chores and had disappeared to...wherever it was he went afterwards. She'd always respected his privacy, though she made no secret that she was curious. Still, her philosophy was that as long as the job got done, she wasn't interested in the extra-curricular activities.

She was anxious to get on the way, whatever way that may be. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming and she wanted to be ready for it. She was on her way from her quarters to the Observation deck, when she passed Vincent. He gave her a brief nod, and then turned and followed her to the center of the ship. She didn't notice the little details that showed chaos had already come through and fine-tuned his precious space craft, but that didn't mean she didn't know they were there. In a way, it was background noise, something you're aware of without paying attention to. When she and Vincent reached the Observation deck, she pushed a button on a sidewall which turned on the intercom.

"chaos, would you meet us on the Observation Deck?"

His answer was immediate. "Right away."

The door hissed open behind them, and Paine spun around, surprised that the white-haired pilot could move so fast, but it was Leon and not chaos who strode in. If she noticed the weariness in his face and eyes, she made no mention of it, but then as Vincent and chaos noted, she avoided looking directly at Leon at all. Before thinks could become awkward, chaos also entered and once again, the four of them found themselves in a strange polygonal situation. On one hand, Leon and Paine had a history that chaos and Vincent were not apart of. On the other hand, she had a bond with the two of them that Leon, while the source of the arrangement, was also not privvy to. Then there was the fact that Vincent and chaos were on civil terms, and it was becoming aggravatingly apparent that Leon and Paine were not.

Paine spoke first, although it was reluctantly.

"So, what have you decided?"

chaos answered with a smile and a nod, saying only, "I have nothing better to do." He looked at Vincent, stoic as always. Vincent nodded as well, feeling no need to justify his decision. All eyes turned towards Leon, the wild card in the deck. He appeared to be oblivious to their scrutiny as he looked at Paine head-on and asked:

"What's the plan? Where do we go?"

As if there was some kind of competition between them over who could be more unflappable, Paine didn't even blink in shock. Instead, she asked slowly:

"So you're going to stay?"

Leon nodded.  
"What made-"  
"Look, I said I was staying, alright? Keep pestering me with obnoxious questions and I may think again."

Paine clenched her jaw, as he'd put her in an awkward position, professionally and personally. He must have known that she would never admit to wanting him there, which meant if she stayed silent, the implication would be left hanging. However, if she argued, she would lose him as an asset, something he also knew she couldn't afford to do. He could see the cold-burning anger smoldering in her crimson eyes, but she let him win the round.

She turned to face Vincent and chaos, who had watched this tableau with thinly veiled interest.

"We can't continue just floating, waiting for something to happen. We're going to need coin to keep the ship in order, and we need to find out what the purpose of the people after us is. Which means finding people willing to talk," she smiled wickedly, betraying the hope that some of them would be reluctant enough to need a litte...extra persuasion.

"And what are we going to do to accomplish all this?" Vincent asked, dryly.

"What we do best," Paine replied, "Offer our vaunted services in security, protection and retrieval to those who can pay for it."

Leon and Vincent seemed to like this plan. Only chaos had an objection. Paine could see his troubled expression and when it became obvious he wasn't going to offer his thoughts, she asked him what was wrong. He raised his hanging head and looked at her with angelic concern.

"But...won't that put innocent people in harm's way? If they are associated with us, they could get caught in the crossfire."

Paine paused, though it was a point she had considered before. Finally, she regarded them all and answered.

"Then we'll just have to be better, won't we?"


	11. Chapter 11

_(Authors Note: Whoa, I am so late. Deepest apologies.)_

The _StarSong _was truly an incredible ship. While not especially large, when compared to the cruisers and pleasure yachts that cluttered the Travel-lines, it had more than ample space for the four occupants, as well as a few hidden surprises.

One such surprise was an excercise/sparring room. It had a transparent glass roof, over which was a 3D imager, which could make the 'sky' appear to be any time, and under any conditions. Paine was especially intrigued by this feature because it allowed her to practice staying focused among a changing environment...something she had learned the value of on the squallid surface of the Dead Planet.

The Sparring Room didn't boast many weapons (as she would expect from someone as aggressively pacifistic as chaos), but it held enough to give a good feel for a variety of types. Being more used to a far-reaching weapon, Paine had chosen a long staff, three inches taller than she was. She set the mode of the Atmospheric Emulator onto 'Random'. As she practiced a few warm up moves, spinning the staff between her hands, the sky looked like a generic foggy day, the sun was hidden behind a thick blanket of gray, but it was still light enough to see well.

The clouds moved over as an artificial wind picked up, and Paine began a more intricate pattern, getting lost in the dance, the rythm of movement and the absolute control of muscles and joints. She spun the staff rapidly and tossed it in the air, momentarily watching it rotating in the air before it began it's descent and she grabbed it in mid-arc. She leapt up herself, thrusting the staff down, and using it to vault herself over, pausing only a moment to balance herself on the narrow end. As she landed, slightly harder than she had meant to, she was are of something whistling towards her. Without seeing the possible assailant, she bent her body over sideways. A blur passed before her eyes as she brought up her stick in defense. It shouldn't have surprised her, but it did, and for a moment she coudln't stop the look of being caught unawares from her face. Above, the clouds had moved off and the sun had begun to shine, illuminating a face, marked by an old scar, and shadowing eyes that betrayed many more. Immediately, Paine dropped her defensive guard and backed away to show she wasn't interested in playing.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. Leon twirled his matching staff easily, making no other movement and looking as if he was right at home.

"chaos told me I might be interested in this part of the ship," Leon answered, much sooner than Paine had expected as he scanned the room, "and he was right, this is quite something."

A white puffy cloud momentarily passed over the sun, darkening the room for a second and a half before moving along its merry way. Paine couldn't tell if he was goading her or if his intentions were purely innocent. However, given her experiences with him before, she guessed there was something hidden behind his disinterested expression. He was facing her but he wasn't looking directly at her as he seemed to take great interest in the weapons wall and one of the mats. It wasn't until she noticed a muscle in his jaw twitch has he stared intently at an air vent that she realized what was going on.

_He wants me to attack him._

Why he would want her to instigate a battle was beyond her comprehension, but as much as she'd love to take the oppurtunity to vent her frustrations on his face, she felt that she had played into his hands enough for one day. She'd not give him the satisfaction of reacting as he wanted her to, as he expected her to. Instead, she sauntered around him, not showing him her back and keeping him in her sights.  
"So are you going to tell me why you're staying?" she asked, as casually as possible.  
"Hadn't planned on it, no," he replied, an unusually long-winded answer for him. She whisked her staff around, noticing the way he followed it with his eyes, obviously alert.

"What'd you do with my ship?" he asked, matching her steps as if they were doing some kind of non-physical dance. Paine shrugged.  
"I left _Rinoa _with Cid and Yuffie," she answered, frowning as she noticed him flinch, some old pain surfacing in his eyes, though he masked it immediately.

The weather changed to a light snow fall, and to match the holographic images, the temperature in the room dropped to a chilly degree, makinmg Paine's hair stick up more so than usual. She made a slow arc, staring at her staff as she tilted it back and forth.

"What kind of name is that anyway? A person?"

"Yes."

Paine almost dropped her staff in mid-pattern, Leon's voice took her so by surprse. Now her interest was more than piqued if she had only just gotten a **taste **of the layers of emotion that one word betrayed. It did occur to her that this was undoubtedly a subject he did not want pressed and she was prying into someone else's business, a trait she had frequently chided others for. Unfortunately, for Leon, Paine knew his buttons and how to get what she wanted, how to make him lose control.

She turned her back to him, as if she was going to leave, then suddenly reverse-thrust her staff, so that the end hurtled right for his face. He dodge, but just in time, and he could feel the smooth grain of thte metallic-wood alloy rub against his skin. He countered with a swinging hook, aimed at her head. She bent herself in half, using the momentum to start off a spin-kick which connected with Leon's midsection, who-in midswing- did not have good balance and so he staggered a few steps backwards. She straightened as she asked:

"So who was she?"

In answer, Leon snarled, blue fiery eyes blazing, and lunged forward, bringing the staff straight down with a force that could shatter her shoulder. She brought up her staff, and blocked it but the force was still enough to turn her arm muscles to jello. He tried to push her down, imposing his superior strength upon her. Their faces were only a few centimeters apart, and she could feel the heat of his wrath emanating off his skin. The nerve had quite obviously been struck. To accentuate this, a storm had been created, flashes of 'lightning' and the sound of pounding rain adding a dramatic effect to the duel. Every few minutes, there would be another blinding light slashing through the air, but that didn't stop either of them. If this kept up, he would have her bent over backwards and she wouldn't allow that. Instead, she gave a sardonic smile and asked, "Another ward, like that wench with the pleasure ship?"

Her gamble worked, his emotions got in the way and he lost focus for a moment, which she used to slide out from under his weapon. What she hadn't expected was how fast he would recover his vaunted self-control. As her side was exposed he lashed out with the narrow end of his staff and jabbed it hard into her ribs with enough backing that had she been able to think past the pain of the moment, she'd know it would leave quite a bruise. She lost her balance and rolled, trying to get away from any follow up attack. Each breath was a wave of agonized difficulty, and Paine struggled to regain herself. She had just opened her eyes when she felt a heavy weight on her chest. She tilted her head back, when she felt the hard wood push against her esophagus, forcing her head against the floor. Leon had one knee on her torso, keeping her from moving, sometimes even from breathing. She tried to struggle, but he just pressed down harder until she stopped moving altogether, her eyes closed and mouth open as she tried to breathe. he leaned over her so that she could feel his heavy breathing through her hair. She was almost afraid to open her eyes again, afraid she'd see the murder, yet at the same time, a small part of her cheered that she'd been right all along. Finally, she did, but only because she had reached the point where if she didn't get more oxygen she would pass out, and her eyes sought his. The holographic storm abated, though the sky stayed darkened, a rolling mass of oblivion. He saw the pain she was in, but for a moment, his expression stayed hard as diamond, eyes glittering black and mouth held back in a low growl. Then slowly as she gasped mutely, he leaned back,easing his weight off his knee, letting a bit more air get into her lungs. As she sucked in air (but quietly, because she had her pride), he looked away, his gaze going somewhere off into the distance. She raised her head a bit as he pulled the staff away from her neck, and looked at him, as he hadn't fully gotten off of her yet. He looked back at her without turning his head, just glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Rinoa...was my wife."

Leon stood up, and Paine propped herself up on her elbows, wanting to say something, but no words would come. He stood over her for a moment, his outline blocking out the light had begun to shine through the holo-vid window, so his face was shadowed in silloutte. Then he slowly turned and walked away. Paine stayed where she was, unable to move, and not just from the still stabbing pain in her side.

She finally made her way to her room where she pulled an ice pack from a storage bin. She sat on the end of her bed and pressed it against her side, flinching from the new painful sensations. She didn't know why this new knowledge surprised her, perhaps because she didn't believe Leon was capable of such length of emotion necessary for such a relationship. She asked herself if it changed anything. Technically, no, it didn't. But then she would remember...the pain and regret she heard in his voice could only mean one thing: he had lost her, she had been forcefully stolen from him. She had to have died. And Paine could understand what that would do to a person, the way their whole universe would be changed. So in that way...it changed everything.


End file.
